Bader grinds out Kongo to retain Bellator heavyweight title

Ryan Bader is still the Bellator heavyweight champion.

Bader defeated Cheick Kongo via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) in the Bellator 280 main event in Paris to retain his title for the third time.

The bout was a rematch from their first fight in September 2019, which was ruled a no-contest after Bader poked Kongo in the eye. That was Bader's first heavyweight title defense.

Bader dominated Kongo in all five rounds, using his wrestling skills to hold the challenger in the clinch and on the ground for large periods of time; Kongo struggled to return to his feet.

After the fight, Bader said he wants to defend his belt against Linton Vassell next.

With the victory, Bader extended his winning streak to two and remained undefeated as a heavyweight. His only losses have come at light heavyweight, where he used to also hold Bellator gold.

Before Friday's main event, Kongo had competed just twice since the first fight against Bader. He dropped a split decision to Tim Johnson in 2020 but then submitted Sergei Kharitonov last August to secure another title shot.